GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL APPLICATION ESSAY GUIDE

By Suzanne Zilber, Ph.D. Former Coordinator of the Career Exploration Program, Student
Counseling Service, Iowa State University. Other helpful information is available on the Student
Counseling Service Web Site http://www.iastate.edu/~stdtcouns/
Introduction
Applications to graduate and professional school often require a personal or autobiographical
statement. Although your grades and test scores are probably more important criteria for
acceptance, your personal statement can influence whether you are considered a valuable
candidate for the program.
A strong admissions essay can accomplish many goals. First, you can sell yourself by
highlighting your unique qualifications for the academic program. Second, the essay may be used
to supplement or expand on information included in the standard application forms for the
program. For example, you may have one line to list "Philanthropy chair of sorority", and you may
want to describe what that entailed further in the essay. Thirdly, you may want to use the essay to
explain special circumstances in your academic history (e.g., an unusually poor performance one
quarter) if you believe those experiences may negatively affect your chances for admission.
Furthermore, if you gain admission, your essay may be used to assign a faculty advisor with
similar interests.
Writing an admissions essay can be anxiety provoking, especially for those lacking confidence in
their writing skills. This booklet will provide you with guidelines for successfully approaching the
challenge to produce a high quality, top notch essay.
The Purpose of an Admissions Essay
In evaluating your application, admissions faculty are primarily trying to determine three things:
1) Can you handle the work?
2) Will you have sufficient motivation to do the work and complete the degree?
3) Will you fit into the program?
The two steps towards achieving these three objectives in your admissions essay are knowing
yourself and knowing the program.
KNOW YOURSELF: This step includes being able to identify your interests, abilities, values, and
personality characteristics. An excellent way to indicate your motivation or interest in the topic of
study is to give a review of your career development (e.g., how you discovered your interest in
the topic, and what choices you made which led up to your current decision to apply to graduate
or professional school). Overall, knowing yourself will enable you to articulate yourself effectively
to admissions faculty.
KNOW THE PROGRAM: This step involves researching the program. The efforts taken to learn
about the program before writing will be beneficial to you in a number of ways. First, you will
personalize your essay more effectively if you have a lot of information about the program.
Making specific references to the program will demonstrate commitment to the admissions
committee. Second, the more you know about the program, the more confident you can be that
the program fits your goals -- and that confidence will show in your writing.
Writing Your Essay
A. Getting Started
One of the hardest parts of writing admissions essays is just getting started. However, if you
know yourself and you know the program, you will have a good knowledge base with which to
start composing a winning essay. Anxiety about writing skills or the application process can
contribute to procrastination. Avoid procrastination by writing a number of rough drafts rather than
trying to write a perfect copy the first time. Even if you go through ten drafts before you are
satisfied with your work, the more you write, the more likely you will produce an admissions-
gaining essay.
B. Content
There are seven basic content areas which you might address in your admissions essay:
1) The history of your career interests
2) Coursework related to the program
3) Experiences or research related to the program
4) Research or specialization interests
5) Future career goals
6) Answers to any specific questions the application asks.
7) Why that particular school or program fits you
Which area, or combination of areas, you decide to address will be based on the guidelines for
the essay given by in the application, and the type of information you are trying to convey. It will
be to your advantage to appear focused in your interests. Try to indicate what you would like to
do your research on or how you would focus your studies. Sometimes students are nervous
about stating long term career goals. Remember, no one is going to hold you to what you wrote in
that essay when you make career decisions 2 to 6 years later, so take a stab at an idea for your
future. In addition, essays should be one to two pages long unless otherwise specified in the
application.
C. Writing Style
Style is the other important element of your essay besides content. The readers of your essay are
not only looking to see what you communicate (content), but also how you communicate. You
want to compose a well-thought out essay which uses strong, persuasive language, and gives
clear, concrete examples.
1. Editing

Essays should be one to two pages long unless otherwise specified in the application, which
means that you will have to write concisely and powerfully to include important content. The
following are some editing tips.
1) Circle all prepositions (to, of, in, with, etc...)
2) Underline all passive verbs (forms of "to have" or "to be")
3) Remove any unessential prepositional phrases.
4) Rewrite with active verbs. Remember it is OKAY to use "I" in these essays. Try to think of
active verbs that will communicate the skills valuable to the program.
5) Make sure you have enough commas to facilitate the reading process.
You may wish to consult Strunk and White's The Elements of Style, for more assistance. Here's
an example of how to edit a section.
Before:
"It is my goal to continue past the master's degree and earn a doctorate so that I will be qualified
to teach literature at a college or university."
After:
"I plan to pursue a doctorate so that I may teach literature at a college or university."
2. Descriptions
Another style issue is how to describe your experiences. The essay should generally not be
another listing of how you have kept yourself busy the past four or more years. However, if the
application blank for the particular program does not ask for a lot of information, you may need to
include more biographical data in the essay.
A well described, concrete incident can be a powerful component of an essay. For example, a
student recalled that her admissions officer from college remembered her admissions essay three
years later, because she vividly described conversations she had with people in Sweden. Within
or after your description, you can then state what the incident illustrates about your skills or
qualities.
EXAMPLES: Experience Descriptions
1) "At one time, the office in which I work included four former English majors on a professional
staff of six. While proofreading pages of the periodical I edit, the four of us would pause
occasionally to argue vigorously over an ambiguous line or a questionable comma, and I
thoroughly enjoyed even the pettiest and most ridiculous of these debates."
2) "As a crisis intervention hotline volunteer, I gained confidence in my ability to quickly establish
rapport, stay calm, be confrontive, and make ethical judgments. One night, when I was on a shift
alone, I received a call from a man who had beaten and tied his wife to a bed and he feared he
would kill her. I was surprised at my ability to establish rapport and feel empathy for the "ultimate
villain" in my worldview. I successfully got him to do some cognitive restructuring, while I grappled
with the ethical dilemma of breaching his confidentiality to trace the hour long call."
Polishing
Finally, your essay should be typed and flawless. Proofread, proofread, proofread. An effective
way to proofread for misspellings is to review the essay backwards word by word. Then you can
proofread backwards sentence by sentence. Do not rely solely on word processor "spell
checkers" -- they cannot catch when a "form" should have been a "from". It is also helpful to have
friends, professors, or parents give you feedback on your essay to ensure that you are making
sense. Keep in mind, however, that this is YOUR essay. You will be evaluated on your writing
ability, so your essay should reflect your work.
Essay Samples
Most of the following samples are from essays that admissions faculty at Ohio State University
felt were excellent. The students have volunteered to share their writing with the understanding
that others will not plagiarize or copy their work.
A word on PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism occurs when someone labels another person's work as their
own. It is a form of academic misconduct and is unethical. A personal statement is just that,
personal. Your essay will not be effective unless it honestly reflects you, so please use the
following samples as guides only.
An example of a career development introduction, Anne Halverson, German department:
"My interest in German has been developing since I spent my junior year of high school in West
Germany and became fluent in the language. When I entered the University of Washington, I
enjoyed subjects dealing with the history of the German language and even completed graduate
level courses in German dialects and Gothic. My interest in literature, however, grew slowly. As a
freshman, I had run into an overtly Freudian professor who insisted that breakfast eggs
represented pregnant women. I thought I would never be able to comprehend such
interpretations. My fear of literature changed during my senior year when I finally had the chance
to study J ohann von Goethe, the Romanticists, and the German Minnesang. In these courses, I
was able to pursue my major interest--the portrayal of women in German literature."
An example of an effective use of the "listing" approach is in the introduction of Deborah
Friedman, Case Western School of Medicine:
"I perceive my future role as one of service to the community. I have always valued community
involvement, a value learned by example from my parents. Since high school I have been active
in various levels of the community, developing diverse interests and skills. For example, at
Princeton University, my involvement included work in and beyond the bounds of the academic
community. I devoted much time and energy to musical groups and performances as a flutist on
campus. In addition, I enhanced my leadership and organizational skills as an officer in several
large extra curricular activities, and exercised communication skills by serving as a Peer
Counselor. Finally, I devoted time each year to volunteering in the community: in the local
hospital, the Girl Scouts of America, the Association for the Advancement of the Mentally
Handicapped, and a New J ersey State policy research organization."
An example of a research experience description, Nancy Gill, Psychology Department:
"I have experience in both designing and executing experiments involving human and animal
subjects. I assisted in running rats in a study examining infantile amnesia. This involved training
young animals to associate a shock with a tone through classical conditioning and then retesting
them when they were older. I assisted in a study examining a rat's preference for familiar or
unfamiliar rats,. The study looked at the effect of genetic familiarity and experiential familiarity.
This study assessed the factors associated with the development of social attachment at various
ages. I have also worked with children and college students and their perceptions of weight. This
involved using tactile and abstract manipulations of objects and its effect on their perceived
weight."
An example of a "creative" essay, J ennifer Smith, English Department:
"I was born in Wapkoneta, Ohio, in 1949, and it was there, almost immediately after birth, that I
developed allergies to anything that could be ingested or inhaled. These allergies kept me from
going outside in the summer which led directly to my present expertise in Golden Age mystery
fiction. The highlight of my public school education came from my senior year when I was
awarded a complete four-year scholarship from the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation in honor
of allergies above and beyond the call of adolescence. Having achieved a solid B average, I left
Wapakoneta High School for Bowling Green where I majored in journalism, English, history,
political science, and geology in rapid succession. I finally graduated in 1973 with a B.S. in art
education. I would like to say that my eclectic undergraduate studies at Bowling Green gave me
an encyclopedic grasp of the humanities, but the only thing I seem to have retained is the ability
to cross large, open spaces in a head wind."
An example of the "power essay", J eff Shapiro, School of Law:
"I reason clearly, debate well, and write coherent papers. Yet, the intense challenge of law school
will sharpen those skills."
Conclusion Examples
1) J eff Shapiro, School of Law:
"Finally given the opportunity , I will bring qualities of creativity, persistence, and a developed
ability to work with my peers. Hopefully, I will be afforded the opportunity to go into a field, such
as my father's, where I too will be able to make a difference."
2) Nancy Gill, Psychology Department:
"I am looking forward to continuing my education and pursuing my academic and professional
goals in your graduate program. My self-initiative and motivation will enable me to work
independently. My knowledge of the research processes, gained through these experiences, has
given me the critical skills necessary to execute research in an effective and efficient manner.
With my goals and qualifications, I am confident that I can be very successful in you program if
given the opportunity."
Example of Lapse in Academic Performance
1) J eff Shapiro, School of Law:
"Off to college I went, with no career in mind. Having no focus, I performed poorly and soon
realized I needed to take time off. During that time my thoughts began to change towards law. I
was called to witness in a probate hearing and enjoyed it."
For additional essay examples and other tips, you may want to consult Graduate Admissions
Essays-What Works, What Doesn't and Why, by Donald Asher. His book goes beyond just writing
the essay and gives excellent tips on the application process in general. (Ten Speed Press, 1-
800-841-BOOK, 1991) Or you may consult How to Write a Winning Personal Statement for
Graduate and Professional School by Richard J . Stelzer which has a special emphasis on
admission to law, business and medical schools.
These books and other books about graduate and professional school programs are available in
the Career Exploration Library, in the Student Counseling Service, SSB Building. There are peer
educators available to help you find the information you need and the library is open most
business hours including the noon hour.
You may now feel clearer and more confident about how to write a personal statement.
Remember, persistence is everything in both applying to and completing graduate school. Good
luck with your application process!
Note:
Material in this guide is all original work done in the spring of 1989 for Career Planning Services
at The Ohio State University under the supervision of Mark Ballard, M.A. It was revised in
October 1991 for the Iowa State University Student Counseling Service Career Exploration
Program. Copyright 1996 Suzanne Zilber, Ph.D. Iowa State University
Additional Resources for Writing Graduate and Professional School Application Essays Compiled
by Miche Rigoni-Roth, Career Services Center, University of Wyoming
Ten Minute Guide to Applying to Grad School by Ellen Lichenstein and Sharon McDonnell, Arco
Alpha Books
Peterson's Graduate and Professional Programs Overview book has a section on personal
statements.
Write for Success: Preparing a Successful Professional School Application by Evelyn W. J ackson
and Harold R. Bardo, national Association of Advisors for the Health Professions, Inc., 1989
Perfect Personal Statements by Mark Alan Stewart
Graduate School and You, available from the Council of Graduate Schools.